BUCKEYE, AZ — A state workplace inspection obtained by ABC15 reveals more details about the death of a construction worker who fell into a 100-foot hole in Buckeye earlier this year.
An inspection by the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) said workers were completing drywell systems for flood mitigation at a construction site.
They were using a front-end loader and a chain to move a metal road plate that covered a deep hole. One worker was standing on top of the metal plate, trying to disconnect the chain when the front-end loader backed up, jerking the metal plate from under the worker. He fell backward into the hole.
ADOSH is not recommending fines against Torrent Resources Inc., saying the company trained employees on safety. They were told not to stand on road plates when moving them, according to company officials.
ADOSH issued one non-serious citation for having a steel chain that was not permanently marked with the size, grade, capacity and manufacturer.
Rescue crews were called to the construction area around 11: 30 a.m. on April 19 near Miller Road and Durango Street after getting calls that a construction worker fell into a hole.
They lowered a communication device to the worker so he could talk to rescuers. Hours later, they lifted him from the hole and took him to the hospital. The worker, 30-year-old Anthony “Anto” Martinez, later died from his injuries.
Torrent Resources specializes in stormwater infiltration, according to the company’s website, with systems in Arizona, California, Texas, New Mexico and Nevada.
ABC15 left messages with the company by phone and email but has not yet heard back.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on Twitter and Facebook.
